The Other Palace 18 April – 27 May. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
The Other Palace continues in its mission to develop and showcase new musicals with the European premiere of Whisper House. Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s stunning musical ghost story is a truly haunting experience, and if future shows are of this calibre, then The Other Palace will surely be the most exciting venue in town.
Set in East Coast America in 1942, the quiet lives of lighthouse keeper Lily (Dianne Pilkington), her handyman Yasuhiro (Nicholas Goh) and the local sheriff (Simon Lipkin) are changed forever by the arrival of Lily’s nephew Christopher (Stanley Jarvis and Fisher Costello-Rose) and president Roosevelt’s executive order on enemy aliens. Then there’s the small matter of German U-boats. As the living dance haplessly through unspoken and forbidden loves and grief, they are watched and toyed with by two ghosts (Simon Bailey and Niamh Perry) seeking vengeance.
Everything about this production is right. The set, concentric descending circles, and beautifully eerie projections give the illusion of closeness, creating a chilling feeling of claustrophobia and entrapment. Speaking of illusions – the tricks the ghosts play on the living are wonderful touches and Richard Pinner’s illusions give the ghosts’ vindictiveness a playful, childish air.
Bailey and Perry are superb vocally and physically as the ghosts, bringing passion and otherworldliness to the stage. Lipkin is a hoot as the chain-smoking Sheriff, telling ghost stories to Christopher, and the tender moments shared by Pilkington, Goh and Jarvis are the heart of this ghostly tale of love and redemption. The seven-piece band are on stage, their playing, like the cast’s actions orchestrated by the ghosts. The score is fantastic – ranging from melancholic laments through jaunty playful mockery to bombastic full-blown rock numbers. Sheik definitely knows how to tell a story musically. Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Whisper House is a gloriously ghoulish production that will take your breath away. I urge you to see it.